Admission to a bachelor/diploma programme without sufficient proficiency in German

Your secondary school leaving certificate and your citizenship are from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland? You want to study a bachelor or diploma programme without an entrance examination but you don't have German proficiency on C1 level yet?

Apply for admission online via u:space and complete the admission procedure personally in the Admission Office within the deadlines.

Required documents

You need the following documents as separate JPEG or PNG files:

Your passport or personal ID card

Passport photograph

You need the following documents as separate PDF files:

Your original secondary school leaving certificate (all pages!) and a translation by a court sworn translator (if not issued in German or English)

Your steps in the admission procedure

Step 1: Preparation of required documents

Scan all required documents (in high resolution) and create PDF files. All pages of one document as well as its legalisation and/or translation have to be merged into one single PDF file by means of an online tool of your choice (i.e. school leaving certificate + translation). All your files have to be easily readable and in high quality.

Step 2: Application for admission via u:space

Register in u:space during the application period and activate your u:account. You will need this account during your studies at the University of Vienna.

Log in to u:space, select the degree programme of your choice and upload the required documents. Do not upload a "Certificate of proficiency in German at level C1" under "Other documents and proofs". Then click on "submit application."

As soon as the status of your application in u:space is "submitted" you can continue with step 3.

Step 3: Registration at the University Preparation Programme of the Vienna Universities (VWU)

During the admission period you have to present the required documents in original or notarised copy at the Admission Office (opening hours).

In the Admission Office you will receive a written confirmation that you may participate in the German Preparation course of the VWU. Choose a cooperation partner and register for the course within the registration period (cooperation partners, costs, deadlines).

Step 4: Personal admission

Now you have to go to the Admission Office again and present the required documents in their orignal version or as notarised copies and the confirmation that you have registered for a German course at the VWU.

You have to do this personally, as your identity has to be verified. Representation by third parties is not possible!

Step 5: Payment of the students´ union fee

You may pay with your ATM card (Maestro card) when completing the admission procedure at the Admission Office.

You will be admitted as a non-degree student as soon as the prescribed fee is registered as paid in u:space. This means that you cannot start with your degree programme yet, you can only participate in courses and exams at the VWU.

What comes next?

As soon as the prescribed fee is registered as paid in u:space > Financial Matters > Tuition fee/students' union fee you can validate your student ID, the u:card.

There is no numerus clausus in Austria. You average grades are not relevant for an admission. Please note that some degrees have entrance examinations.

I have an International Baccalaureate (IB). What do I have to do?

During your application for admission in u:space, put Switzerland as the issuing country of your secondary school leaving certificate, even if you have not finished school there!

Even if you have received your IB from an Austrian school, it is considered a secondary school leaving certificate from abroad, as it was issued by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO).

Please note:

You have to have reached a minimum of 24 points from your six examinations (total of the individual grades). If you have not reached 24 points, you will not receive an "IB Diploma" but a "IB Certificate". An admission with an IB Certificate is not possible.

In your six subjects of examination, a foreign language and math are required.

A minimum of at least three subjects have to be graduated as "Higher Level."

The admission procedure for you is as described on this website. Do not send any documents to the Admission Office via terrestrial mail!

I have GCE AL ("British A-Levels). What do I have to do?

A confirmation that four different, independent subjects have been passed, has to be appropriately provided.

This four subjects have to include:

one foreign language

mathematics

one of the subjects: biology, physics or chemistry

one subject in humanities

At least three of the four subjects should be closely related to the degree programme you wish to study and have to be passed at GCE Advanced Level. The fourth subject has to be passed at the GCSE respectively IGCSE level. For applicants with first language German, the subject German can only be considered for the GCSE/IGCSE level.

The passed subjects should be at least graded with A*, A, B or C.

The Advanced Supplementary Level (AS) is for the prior mentioned requirements considered as GCSE level.

I have switched from another university to the University of Vienna. How can I get the exams I already took at the other university recognized?

The Studienprogrammelitung (SPL) is responsible for the recognition of exams. Once you are admitted to the University of Vienna, you can apply for recognition of your exams in the StudienServiceStelle (SSS)/StudienServiceCenter (SSC) responsible for your degree programme.

Even if several courses are taught entirely or partly in another language, the language of instruction for all bachelor degree programmes offered by the University of Vienna is German. Due to this a proof of proficiency in German of at least level C1 is required for an admission to a bachelor programme.